Return of Bruce Wayne
Lead-up While in communion with the Source, Darkseid is gifted two weapons; the Anti-Life Equation, and the Omega Sanction. Batman is seemingly vaporized by Darkseid during Final Crisis. Superman and Wonder Woman defeat Darkseid. Chapter One - Life Trap Darkseid vaporizes Bruce with the Omega Sanction. Bruce Wayne awakens amnesiac in Prehistoric Time. He encounters the Bear tribe, led by Anthro the cave-boy. Their clan is attacked by Vandal Savage. Bruce fights Vandal Savage as a caveman. He is then transported away. Bruce awakens in a field surrounded by darkness, where he is met by two men named Giovanni Zatara and John Constantine, who are attempting to cage a rogue demon called Etrigan. Bruce helps distract the demon, who sets him ablaze, but he is unharmed. The Demon refers to him as "Barbatos" = the Bat-God. Constantine and Zatara bind the demon, reverting it to human form (Jason Blood). They thank the traveler, but Bruce vanishes again. Bruce awakens in the midst of a gunfight between Jonah Hex and a group of ninjas (League of Assassins). Bruce takes a horse and lasso, dispatching the ninjas. Hex recognizes the Caped Crusader, but Bruce has no memory. He is then transported again. Bruce gets a vision where Scott Free attempts to warn him of the power of the life trap, the omega sanction that has been throwing him through endless lives, forcing him to be reborn eternally for Darkseid's benefit. Chapter Two - Detective The League and Booster Gold appears after Bruce transported b/c they are looking for him. Batman in Gotham right before the death of the Waynes. Tries to investigate and is revealed that Hurt and Black Glove had something to do with it. While investigating Wayne Manor, he is attacked by the Black Glove, and dons Thomas Wayne's Bat-Costume. Batman fights Hurt, where he reveals that he planned to kill the Waynes that night. As the police arrive, Hurt and Bruce fly through a window where they see that Thomas and Martha were killed anyways. Hurt vows to kill Batman and bring down Gotham. Bruce sees his younger self; "Mother.... Father." Batman is zapped away by the sanction once more. Chapter Three - Pearls The Seven Leaguers have been looking for Bats and finally track him to the end of time. Booster explains that the Omega Sanction is a weapon that would allow Darkseid to return from death by forcing one inflicted to go through a gauntlet of synthetic lives until they build up enough Omega Energy to recreate him. Darkseid knew that Batman was one of the most dangerous beings in all of the Multiverse, so he preyed on Batman's undying drive to always overcome challenges in order to facilitate his rebirth. Bruce sees time flash before his eyes as he is thrown into crime alley. Bruce is given the opportunity to save his parents just before they are gunned down by joe chill. However, he realizes that in order to save lives ad protect gotham, he must become Batman. Batman lets his parents die, cementing his one truth: Batman is alone. He then hears a yell, and then a cackling laugh. A dying scott free lies before him; "What have you done Bruce?" As Joe chill approaches the waynes, he takes the form of darkseid, sending two omega bemas throught the hearts of his parents. The waynes fall, while martha's pearls lay in a pool of blood (symbolizing the constellation of orion). As scott free draws his last breath; "There is no escape." Bruce arrives at the end of time, finding the vanishing point destroyed. Pulsing with omega energy, he is confronted by Simon hurt alongside Damian Wayne, the mobius chair, and a tied up Rip Hunter. Chapter Four - Black Mass Origin of Doctor Hurt, Black Mass to summon the Devil (Barbatos), but instead conjured Darkseid after he fell through time. Kills all of the other members but spares Hurt. They make a deal. Immortality, for Darkseid's escape. Darkseid imprints a part of his soul onto hurt, as a backup in the case he was to die. Also Fall of Gotham with Hurt's involvement. Orders Damian to hunt Metron. Kills him, and gets the Mobius Chair. At the Vanishing point, Thomas Hurt shoots Bruce with Joe Chill's gun, bearing a Radion Bullet. The element wounds Orion's soul inside batman, while hurt uses a father box to bind the energy. A reaction occurs, striking Hurt and Bruce, where Darkseid's soul takes control. Bruce becomes "Barbatos", and rises a new God. Chapter Five - New God Hurt, relieved of his immortality, begins to age rapidly, and is disintegrated by Barbatos. Damian falls to his knees in shock, after hurt's control over him is negated. Just as Barbatos prepares to enter the overvoid at the end of time, he is attacked by the Justice league. They overpower him, and hold him, while superman uses an ancient new god weapon called the "Orphan Box", to bind darkseid's soul and remove it from Batman. Barbatos reaches out to his son, Damian, and takes control of his mind. The possessed damian throws a kryptonite batarang at superman, wounding him, and disabling the mother box cannon. Darkseid is freed and shakes off the leaguers. Darkseid enters the overvoid; but the heroes refuse to give up, and Superman and Wonder woman race in after him. The universe ends. Chapter Six - Fallen Son At the dawn of time, Volthoom uses the White Lantern to bestow light upon the void. He is then hit from behind by Darkseid, who picks up the lantern in an attempt to recreate the universe in his image. It creates a reaction that sends darkseid back, (this reaction creates Nekron). Superman and wonder woman fight darkseid and bind him with the lasso of truth in an attempt to reach bruce. Inside bruce's soul, Darkseid and orion fight for control. With orion wounded by the radion, darkseid was able to take power, using anti-life to manipulate bruce. orion uses the last of his energy to send a "signal to bruce", a beacon to remind him that he was never alone. The signal is a bell, which when bruce hears, reminds him of his first night out crimefighting. As he lay bleeding out in his chair, a bat crashed through the window, inspiring him to become batman, to which he rang the bell to summon alfred. The first truth of batman: bruce was never alone. Bruce takes the radion in the form of a batarang and stabs darkseid through the heart, finally destroying the god of evil. A time sphere opens in front of the three and batman is taken back to the present. Chapter Seven - Batman Returns Batman fights doctor hurt and the joker, preventing the fall of gotham from happening. Timeline * This event is part of the New Age of Heroes * It is preceded by the Blackest Night * It occurs simultaneously with The Black Glove * It is followed by the Brightest Day Links * Full Reading Order * Justice League Reading Order * Superman Reading Order * Batman Reading Order